A new line from Rust-Oleum repels water, mud, ice and other liquids from a variety of surfaces. We put one member of this product family to the test. Read on to find out what happened.

Spray an even coating on leather or fabric. Here I'm using it to renew the waterproofing on a pair of old boots. Photo: JProvey

In the war against wet, homeowners have a new weapon: It’s called NeverWet. Designed to repel water and keep surfaces dry, the NeverWet line of products from Rust-Oleum includes four different formulations—Multi-Surface, Fabric, Boot & Shoe, and Auto Interior. Armed with a single one of these sprays or the complete trio, homeowners can now bring protection from the weather to a wide range of household items that spend time outdoors, including garden tools and outdoor furniture.

Don’t get me wrong—I like the rain. But moisture in itself isn’t the problem. What’s really at issue is the mold, mildew, corrosion, rot and (last, but surely not least) skin discomfort that often comes along with an excess of moisture. So when recently I got the opportunity to review the NeverWet fabric formulas, I jumped at the chance to see how the product could help me safeguard those items in my life that I count on to remain dry. For my experiment, I chose leather boots and a cotton patio furniture cushion.

To both, I applied an even coating of NeverWet, according to the instructions, and I wetted but didn’t soak the surface I was treating with the spray. Next, I waited the recommended 24 hours before exposing the items to water. Once enough time had elapsed, I hurried to see how my boots had stood up to the ultimate test—being submerged in a bucket water. Keep reading to see what happened.

Photo: JProvey

In the photo above, the boot I did not spray is on the left. You can see that after five minutes of submersion, the leather became saturated, particularly around the stitching. Meanwhile, the boot on the right of the photo—the one that I did spray with NeverWet—shed water effectively and came out of the tub as good as new.

Equally impressive results arose from my test of the patio furniture seat cushion, which I hosed down in a way that would simulate rainfall. Where it encountered the NeverWet-treated cushion, the water simply beaded up and rolled off. A few days later, I tried again and was satisfied to see no performance change whatsoever.

The treatment worked equally well on the outdoor cotton chair cushion. Photo: JProvey

Down the road, I’ll need to re-apply NeverWater at some point—to the boots sooner than to the cushion, I’m guessing, being that I wear the boots fairly often. Also, even though NeverWet didn’t discolor my boots or the cushion, if I were going to spray anything whose surface I judged to be delicate, then I would first try the spray in an inconspicuous area before committing to spray the entirety. Depending on what you are spraying, you can get 20 to 60 square feet of coverage per bottle.

It’s recommended that you only use NeverWet outdoors, where there’s plenty of ventilation. Be safe using the product, and you’re likely to enjoy the experience as much as I did. Today, I’m deciding what I want to waterproof next!

This post has been brought to you by Rust-Oleum. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.